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We're constantly blown away by the creative things that builders come up with. We showcase community builds every Monday on YouTube and you'll recognize a lot of the same builds featured here, but this roundup is intended to go a little more in depth and focus in on the clever solutions that builders used within their projects.
First up this week is a solution for ground anchors shared by R. Bryan. He needed a way to safely anchor conduit to the ground for his Trampoline leveling legs. He used rebar pins that were bent into a "u" shape. If you have the tools, you could bend them yourself or buy some online. This is a great solution for outdoor projects that need to withstand wind and other elements.
R. Bryan also shared a clever solution for securing his 3/4" EMT Conduit frame to a larger tube. He used u-bolts to attach his trampoline's large diameter tubular legs to 2x4's. From there he used our EMT Conduit Flanges to connect the trampoline legs to the leg extensions that he made. You may not be doing the exact same kind of project, but this hack is a great one to keep in mind for conduit builds that need to attach to larger tubes.
Martin recently shared a wheelchair handle extension that he completed for his granddaughter's wheelchair. It's quite simple, but thanks to a couple of hacks "...it looks like a factory add on!" according to Martin. He used spray paint on the connectors and conduit to match the wheelchair frame. This is a good idea to keep in mind if you ever need to match your conduit build to something. We've done a tutorial for painting both the connectors and conduit if you want to learn the best methods.
We've seen a number of uses for pool noodles and pipe insulation in projects. Most commonly it is used over top of conduit as a soft barrier/protector for things like kayaks. However, Martin used pipe insulation to create a soft handle for their wheelchair extension. This provided a comfortable alternative to grabbing bare metal conduit.
You're likely to find some variation of wire shelves in every American garage. They're durable, fairly inexpensive, and simply hard to beat when it comes to a shelf designed for pure utility. With that said, they may have some fitment issues when working in a space with specific dimensions and needs. I.S. decided to build a custom shelf that fit their small garage nook.
They picked up some Elfa Ventilated Wire Shelves from The Container Store and used them on top of their conduit frame. On those shelves, you'll notice a lip that overhangs the shelves. I.S. found that the lip fits nicely between two pieces of EMT Conduit. While this isn't the most secure attachment method, it does provide some added security and helps prevent the shelves from sliding backwards. You may want to add some zip ties or metal clamps if you need the shelves to be totally secure.
This next solution comes from Ryan and his family. They made a light up brontosaurus because why not? There's a lot of things that makes this great but as I said earlier, we are focusing in on specific solutions. EMT Conduit and connectors make up the main part of the framework, but if you were to string lights to just the pipes in the frame, you'd be left with a light up skeleton which doesn't really match the Christmas vibe.
They used locally available chicken wire and trellises attached to the conduit frame to make a body for the brontosaurus to be. This is a great idea for anyone out there wanting to create custom characters and light displays.
Jo sent us some photos of her awesome goat feeder and its entire construction is really creative. Specifically the use of wire to create the main part of the build that holds the hay and drops it down to the goats. Towards the bottom of the "V" shape you'll see where Jo needed a horizontal pipe that supports the wire feeding system. She used some extra wire secure that horizontal pipe to the rest of the frame. This of course isn't going to be structural but it is something to keep in mind when solving similar challenges.
Neoprene o ring stock is a solid rubber cord that is used to create water resistant o rings. At least that's what it's supposed to be used for. Hyun found that 1" Outer Diameter neoprene stock fits inside of the 3/4" EMT Connectors really well. They used it to create a striking dummy for Kendo (Japanese fencing), but I could see this being used in a lot of projects.
Hyun also used rebar pins between two pieces of 3/4" EMT Conduit to join them and reinforce the joint. The hack doesn't stop there though. Hyun used some locally available conduit bushings to shim the gap and remove the play. This is definitely another solution to keep in mind when working on projects.
Thanks to all the builders who shared their project in the community this past week. Check out this week's episode of Maker Pipe Monday to learn more about the builds. Thanks for reading and happy building!
